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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. court — of a king
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bear — the animal
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — a series
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rash — hasty
  20. foot — a measure
  21. court — of law
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com